John Sheridan Obit

This bit of information appeared on John Sheridan’s Findagrave page. It is interesting in that it illustrates that he is the favorite son of his mother. In other sources, it states that Patrick was the favorite son. Perhaps, in true Irish fashion, she told all of her children that they were in fact her favorite (smile) and it was probably the truth. Accounts of Mary Minah Sheridan state that she was a very giving person and genuinely loved people and her community, but she was known to twist a clever phrase if it benefited her family. For example, when asked about the birthplace of Phil Sheridan, she stated, “He is an Ohio boy.” He was truly an Ohio boy..he was probably not born here. Some sources state Albany NY, some state Ireland, some state in route to the United States (which I will trace), and others claim Somerset. Regardless, Somerset was his home and the rural Appalachian village was as much a part of him as he was of it. Some state that it is possible that Mary Minah may have stretched the truth just a little because it was believed that there may be a chance of Phil being elected President of the United States. Can you blame her? The idea of the son of an Irish, Catholic immigrant, elected to the highest office in the land, would have been a compelling motivator. It would be several years until the country elected Kennedy, an Irish-Catholic President. Like Kennedy, Sheridan also was thought to have taken a mistress. It is unknown who Mary’s favorite son was, but when it came to all of her children, she certainly had the courage to dream big ! I believe, in later years, it was the widow of John , Kate, who took care of Mary when she reached advanced years.

1937 Stamp that Nellie would have lived to have seen.

G.A.R. veteran and lawyer-brother of Civil War hero General Philip H. Sheridan, John L. Sheridan, age 61, was the fifth of six children born to their Irish immigrant parents, John and Mary Minah (Meenagh) Sheridan. His father, John Sr., had once worried over his namesake’s future, stating that John “always did like to take things easy in this world”, and that he and Mrs. Sheridan “were more pleased to hear that John had done his duty as a private in the army than to hear of all the promotions and praise that Phil had received.” For her part, his mother believed that John was the brightest in the family–siblings Patrick, Philip, Mary, and Michael notwithstanding. An alumnus of St. Joseph’s College, he was admitted to the bar in 1866, the same year of his marriage to Sarah Katharine “Kate” Gallin of Somerset. Said to bear a strong physical resemblance to his elder brother Philip in his middle years, John grew to be a large, portly man, and was described as affable and popular. Active in politics, he had held various government posts during his career. Predeceased by his parents and his siblings Rosa, Patrick, Mary (Mrs. John Wilson), and Philip, he was survived by his wife Kate, their two daughters, Mary and Nellie, and his younger brother Michael. All are now reunited in Holy Trinity Cemetery with the exception of Rosa—the baby sister who was buried at sea en route from Ireland—and his brothers Philip and Michael Sheridan, who were interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.